


Crossing the Barrier

by Fuinixe



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mortal, Casual alcohol mention, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Neurodivergent Joe, Not Beta Read, POV Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Panic Attacks, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Sleepy Cuddles, Spooning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29804760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuinixe/pseuds/Fuinixe
Summary: Joe has been in love with his friend Nicky for almost ten years.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolò di Genova & Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 20
Kudos: 134





	Crossing the Barrier

**Author's Note:**

> I know people are impatient for...certain updates. But I'm in my last week of school and can't write at the moment, so this week I'm gonna put my tumblr fics up in an attempt to tide people over.

When the four of them were together, Joe always slept next to his best friend Andy, who always slept next to her girlfriend Quynh, who always slept next to her best friend Nicky. It had been like that for years. Joe often, in the privacy of his own mind, lamented the reticence that kept him from asking for a change of pace. He could ask to be in the middle sometimes, couldn’t he? He could ask to not be on the edge – separated by two whole bodies from Nicky – 

But then Nicky might guess what Joe really wanted. And Joe couldn’t have that. He couldn’t ruin their perfect little found family with his feelings. He would have noticed by now, if Nicky felt the same. 

Surely, Nicky didn’t. 

This morning felt… different, though. 

Quynh and Andy were already up, moving around the room, cast in shadow, illuminated in turn by the light from the hotel bathroom and the late-morning sunlight intruding through the curtains on their sleepy space. 

For once, Nicky hadn’t gotten up with them, leaving Joe alone in bed to surreptitiously roll over and press his nose into Nicky’s pillow. He must have been feeling uncharacteristically lazy. Maybe he’d had one too many rum and cokes the night before. 

No, Nicky was still lying there, awake, since he seemed to be looking at his phone, blanket hiked up around his hips, his bare back turned to Joe. And Joe felt – not brave, exactly – _No. Don’t overthink it. Friends of ten years are allowed to cuddle each other._

Joe scooted across the bed and draped an arm over Nicky’s waist, pressing his t-shirt clad chest up against Nicky’s back, just like he did with Andy every night he slept next to her. 

After only a couple seconds’ pause, Nicky’s left hand immediately came up to cover Joe’s hand, entangling their fingers and squeezing. 

_Oh my God._

Joe rubbed his nose across Nicky’s skin, tracing a line from one mole to another, and breathed in deeply. Warmth immediately started pooling in his groin, and he shifted his hips backward on the bed subtly, so that only their torsos were touching.

Nicky was so warm. The five moles on his upper back formed a crooked W stretching between Nicky’s broad shoulders, the exact shape of which Joe had memorized years ago and drawn countless times in his sketchbooks. Joe pressed his lips against the lower middle mole, but didn’t move his lips in the motion of a kiss, just rested them there.

_Just casual cuddling. Not kissing! Just friends. Just my face against Nicky’s naked back._

Joe could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and noticing the thumping sensation suddenly broke the spell of insanity that had swept over him, that had made him think it was okay to touch Nicky. Surely Nicky could feel his heartbeat against his back, it was _so loud._ Fear seized Joe. What had he been thinking? Nicky couldn’t know about his feelings. He was going to ruin everything. Joe’s arm clenched tighter, instinctively, around Nicky’s body. 

_What if this is the only time I get to hold him like this? What if he pulls away? What is he going to say when he lets me down gently? What if he doesn’t want to share a room with us again –_

Nicky’s hand squeezed Joe’s and his thumb pressed down, digging into Joe’s palm with firm pressure, pulling Joe out of his spiral. Joe felt the sole of Nicky’s foot brush against his shin as Nicky slid his leg backwards towards him. Nicky stroked Joe’s shin awkwardly with his toes, once, twice, and then before Joe could pull away, shifted his whole lower body backwards into Joe’s embrace and tangled their legs together.

“Joe,” Nicky murmured softly, voice husky from sleep and silence. Joe shivered.

Nicky twisted his hand so that their palms met and threaded their fingers together again.

“Joe,” Nicky repeated, then sighed softly, happily. “This feels so good.”

And for the first time in a long while, Joe began to hope.


End file.
